Automatic train-stopping mechanism.



M. CONRAD & W. G. KELLY. AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOPPING MEQHANISM.

APILICAYION FILED JUNE I2 1912 v ATTORNEYS WITNESSES M. CONRAD & W. G. KELLY.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOPPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1912.

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MARK CONRAD, OF ADRIAN, MICHIGAN, AND WILLIAM G. KELLY, OF WINSLOW,

ARIZQNA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

Application filed June 12, 1912. Serial No. 703,183.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, Mann Conn-x0 and lVILLIAM G. KELLY, both citizens of the United States, and. residents, respectively, of Adrian, in the county of Lenawec and State of Michigan, and \Vinslow, in the county of'Navajo and State of Arizona, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Train stop'ping Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to automatic train stopping mechanisms, and it consists in the combinations, constructions and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of our invention is to provide a train -stopping mechanism which is designed to work in connection with a block signaling system, the arrangement being such that when the train is about to enter a block, circuits will be established, partly through apparatus on the engine and partly through apparatus upon the track which will permit the train to pass if the block is clear.

A further object of our invention is to provide a novel automatic electric train stopping mechanism which is controlled in part'by means of a clock driven switching device which will operate at the ends of the block to bring the train to a stop if there is a train in the block ahead, but which will permit it to pass into the block if the switch is energized. This clock driven switching device is controlled by the circuit which is formed partly upon the apparatus on'the engine and partly through the apparatus on the track.

A further object of our invention is to providc" a novel form of time controlled switch to control the action of a solenoid or magnet which operates the train pipe release valve.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is a diagram showing the relation 0f the track circuits to the engine circuits,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the time controlled switch and the air brake release mechanism, with their electrical connections,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the time controlled switch, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the time controlled switch.

Referring now to Fig. 1 it will be seen that we provide main track rails such as those shown at 1, l, and 1" on one side of the track, and 2. 2", and 2 on the other side of the track. The rails on one side are separated by insulating joints 3 while the rails on the opposite side have similar insulating joints 3 directly opposite the first named joints. These joints may he regarded as the terminals ot the blocks. At one end of each block is a short rail such as those shown at if and at" on one side of the track, and similar rails such as those shown at 5 and. 5 near the opposite side of the track. These rails are for the purpose of permitting the shoes such as those shown at (3, (3", (5" and (3, to make electrical connections with the train controlling devices on the engine as hereinafter explained.

At the entrance to each of the blocks on each side of the track is a main track rcla such as that shown at B A battery 13 is disposed in the center or the block and is ar ranged to normally energize the relays R, and R The latter is provided with an armature 30, the retraction of which is designed to break a circuit through the engine from the battery B as will be explained later.

, Referring now to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, we have shown therein a time controlled switch. It comprises a casing 50 in which is mounted a solenoid S. The core 8 ot' the solenoid is ar ranged to engage a slidahle frame 51 which is guided by a bracket 52 and which is held normally in a lower position by means of a spring The frame bears a pivoted shaft 54 which has an arm extending laterally therefrom and a bevel gear 56 which is arranged to engage with the gear 57. The latter is in mesh with the gear 58 on a shaft 59. The shaft 59 is designed to be operated by the shaft 60 of the minute hand 61 of a' clock 62. I

The arm is prolonged and is provided with a spring contact (33 at its end arranged to engage. a conducting stripol, at one end of which is an'insulating strip 65, the other end being bent and being provided with a spring 66.

The brake-setting mechanism is shown in Fig. 2. It consists of a solenoid S whose core connci led t ":1 arm of a tvm-way valve 68. This valve communicates on one side with a pipe 69 leading to the engineers brake valve and on the other side with the train line 70. A spring 71 tends to assist the solenoid in its operation.

The circuit connections will best be eX- plained in a statement of the operation of the device. One of the time controlled switching devices such as that already described, is carried on each engine. It is designed so that the clock work will move the hand 55 along the conductor Gi tand that the hand will engage the insulating portion 65 when the train reaches the end of the block. To this end the switches are so calibrated that the arm will swing the length of the conductor 64 in the time that the engine will ordinarily take in traversing a block. The switch is connected up as shown in Fig. 2.

Let us suppose that an engine or a train Y in Fig. 1 is at one end of the block 1--2 and is about to enter the bIock'I -Q". Normally the relay R is kept energized, the current flowing from the battery B by means of the track rails l", conductor #10, relay R t1, to rail 2" and back to battery. Now when the shoe (5 of the engine Y comes into con tact with the rail 5 a circuit will be established partly through the mechanism on the engine and partly on the apparatus disposed along the track as follows: from battery B, relay B, 4-2, armature 30, 31, rail 5", 6, 43, switch ll, l5, l6, solenoid S, l7, l8, aXle 49, 1, and by wire 50 to battery B The energization of the solenoid S by the circuit thus traced will raise the frame 51 and free the gear 56 on the shaft 5% from the gear 57, whereupon the spring 72 will return the hand 55 back to its original position against the spring 66. The train may then enter the block.

If when the train Y approached the block 1"-2" there had happened to be a train in the block l"2, then'the circuit which has been traced through the armature 30 of the relay R could not have been made because the relay 1% would have been dcenergized since the current from the battery B in the block l"-2" would have passed through the axle of the train in the block thus permitting the armature of the relay R to retract and breaking the circuit where the wire 31 is engaged by the armature 30. Now when the train reaches the end of the block 1-2 the arm 55 of the switch would continue on until it reached the insulating portion 65 whereupon the energizing circuit of the solenoid S which controls the air valve 68 would have been broken. This circuit is as follows: from battery B through the solenoid S and by comluctor 78 through the frame 51, hand or arm 55, conductor 64, and wire 79' to battery B. As stated above, when this circuit is broken the core of the solenoid S drops downwardly assisted by the spring 71, thus .80, see Fig. '2, a

turning the valve 68 so as to permit air from the tram line to How out of the opening 70 through the passage 7O and out through the exit 70 at the same time sounding the whistle w and setting the brakes of the train, to stop it.

It may be that at certain times, the train will stop necessarily in the block. In doing so, the engineer will close the throttle-lever gainst the contact 81. Current will now flow from the battery B through the throttle lever 80, contact 81, conductor 82,47, solenoid S andby conductor l6 back to the battery Bl. The .frame 51 will therefore be lifted and the spring 7 2 will return the hand to its original position. The engineer will therefore have control of his train so that when he desires to proceed he may do so.

In Fi 2, we have shown thercverse lever 44 in such a )osition as to connect the shoe li with the so cnoid S. If, however, the engine is running backwardly, the reverse lever 4% would be shifted to connect the shoe 6 with the solenoid through the conductor 83. The solenoid would then be actuated by contact of the shoe (B with the rails, such as those shown at '1', l" on the other Side of the track, 2. 0., it would act as 1f the tram were proceeding forwardly 1n the same direction.

The arm reaches the insulated portion (35 ust prior to engaging a cam lug When the latter 1S reached the arm 55 will begin to mount the cam 55 and will. continue to travel upon the cam. until it has raised the gear 56 (see Fig. 4) out of engagement with the gear 57. As soon as this movement takes place the spring 7 will bring the gear 56 back into engagement with the gear 57 and will also move the arm 55, which is fastened to the axle 5%, with it. As soon as the gears 56 and 437 are brought into engagement by the spring 72, as just described, it will be seen that the arm 55 will again begin to slide upon the cam 55- until it raises the gear 56 again out of engagement with the gear 57. This movement will continue until the engineer closes his throttle lever 80 (see Fig. 2) against the contact 81. The battery 13 is then brought lnto action,

, thereby energizing the solenoid S, which in turn causes the core of the solenoid S (see Fig. l) to raise the frame 51 upwardly, lift-' As soon as the throttle is lessees main track rails, and a series of short contact rails, of contacts carried by the engine and arranged to engage the contact rails, a clock-driven switch an electric circuit closed by the engagement of the contacts on the engine with certain contact rails, said switch comprising a stationary contact hav ing an insulated portion atone end, a spring-pressed contact arm arranged to slidably engage said stationary contact and the insulated portion successively, said springpressed arm being moved by the clock against the tension of the spring, and means controlled by said circuit for releasing the arm from the cloclcdriving mechanism at any point in the engagement of the arm with said stationary contact.

2, The combination with a track having main track rails nd a series of short contact rails, oi contacts carried by the engine and arranged t engage the contact. rails, a clockdrivcn switch, an electric circuit closed by the engz'agrenn-mt of the contacts on the en gine with certain contact rails, said switch comprising a stationary contact. having an insulated portion at one end, a springpressed contact arm arranged to slidably engage said stationary contact and the insulated portion successively, said springpressed arm being moved by the clock against the tension of the spring. and means controlled by said circuit for releasing the arm from. the clock-driving mechanism at any point in the engagement of the arm with said stationary contact, said releasing means comprising a solenoid having" a winding forming part ot said electric circuit.

3. The combination with a track having main track rails and a series of short con- 40 tact rails, of contacts carried by the engine and arranged to engage. the contact rails, a clock-driven switch, an electric circuit closed by the engagement of the contacts on the engine with certain contact rails, said switch comprising, a stationary contact having an insulated portion at one end, a springpressed contact arm arranged to slidably pipe valve, means controlled by said switch :M, the same, electrical com cctions between the engage said stationary contact; and the in sulatcd portion successively, said springpressed arm being moved by the clock 5 against. the tension ofthe spring, means controlled by said circuit "for releasing the arm. from the clock-driving mechanism at any point in the engagement of the arm with said stationary contact. said releasing means he comprising a solenoid having a v"? 'i 'torming part of said electric circuit. ai pipe valve, and means controlled by the switch for operating said train pipe valve.

4. The combination with a track having at main track rails and a series 0t shortcontact rails, of contacts carried by the engine and arranged to engage the contact rails, a clockdriven switch, an electric circuit closed by the engagement of the contacts on the enefinewith certain contact rails, said switch comprising a stationary contact having an insulated portion at one end, aspringprcssed contact arm arranged to slidabiy engage said stationary contact and the ini sulated portion successively, said spring pressed arm being moved by the-i clock against the tension of the spring, means controlled by said circuit for releasing the arm from the cloclodriving mechanism at any '25 point in the engagement of the arm with said stationary contact, said releasing means comprising a solenoid having windin r forming: part of said electric circuit, a 'i' ii for operating said train pipe valve, said train pipe valve operating mean compr-i mg a solenoid, a battery for normally energl battery, the solenoid, and the switch, and 8 means connecting; the train pipe vahre with the core of the solenoid for causing the operation of the valve member by the movement,

of said core.

MARK CONRAD.

WILLIAM GQKELLY.

Witnesses Y L. ASTANLgY, D. W. GALL. 

